Thanks to Annie2Venus for posting in the Celebrity thread of the Rock & Republic Section on HonestForum.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

I’ll be the first one to admit that denim trends move so quickly that I can barely keep up at times.  This past year alone we’ve all experienced the skinny leg, the wide leg, high-waisted denim and even colored denim.  With all these crazy trends you can never be too sure what trends will have staying power.  So what’s a person to do?  No need to be blue, in honor of Earth Day today – why not go green?

Eco-Friendly denim is good for the environment for several reasons: it’s easier to dispose of when you want to get rid of your old denim, and the dyes are safer for the earth. During my quest to find environmentally conscience brands, I found this great guide about how to recycle your old denim.  Here are some truly amazing environmentally friendly brands that I want to share:

J Brand Green Label.  These jeans are not only environmentally friendly, but they come in a super cute organic tote bag. The bag features tips on how to live a more environmentally conscience lifestyle.  Sounds like a great idea, people need to how to change their lifestyles and not just what they wear.  J Brand Green Label Monroe jeans, $227 at Singer22

James Jeans’ use four eco-friendly denim techniques: they use only 100 percent organic cotton, organic dyes to color their jeans, natural latex to keep them waterproof, and organic olive leaf extract used during the finishing process.

Greencaste by Earnest Sewn is using techniques like air-drying jeans, replacing detergents with natural surfactants, and eliminating all resins from the 3-D finishing process.

Levi’s, Hollywood’s new ‘it’ jean, have come out with a new Eco line. Levi’s with the lowercase “e” are made from 100 percent organic cotton and recycled buttons, rivets, and zippers.

Linda Loudermilk.  This denim goes above and beyond the usual pair of ‘green’ denim. Loudermilk’s jeans are antibacterial and anti-allergenic, yes you read that right! Loudermilk thanks Japanese paper and herbs, found in the fabric and tags, for this unique quality. I have never heard of anything like this, but it sounds quite amazing. How many people can say their jeans are ‘anti-allergenic’? Linda Loudermilk No Filth sasawashi jeans go for about $300.

Aoki Denim’s pants are made with organic cottons and soy and vegetable dyes. However, it’s the label’s name itself that may make the biggest eco-friendly statement; Aoki means “green tree” in Japanese. 

Pine IV. Denim is made from the finest eco-friendly Japanese materials. A brand so comfortable you can sleep in them. Jennifer Garner is shown wearing them below. Pine IV is in partnership with American Forests, an organization that works to protect and restore natural habitats, “to implement a tree planting program in which a single tree will be planted for each of its Pine IV jeans sold in the US.” American Forests is the oldest and most respected non-profit organization dedicated to funding tree planting. Prices start around $145.00. Interested in getting yourself a pair? Check out Pine IV Jeans.

Want to be more “green” in everyday life?  Check out Auto Blog Green for constant updates on companies and brands and their efforts to ‘go green’. They have great tips and advice on how to live a more environmentally conscience life.

Also, check out ShopBop’s Eco Lookbook for more earth friendly products!

I know we are a Denim Blog, but since it’s Earth Day I figured, why the heck not!

The beautiful Kate Hudson was photographed for a new ad campaign for a line of earth friendly hair care products, David Babii for Wild Aid.  Wild Aid aims to end illegal wildlife trade within our lifetime.  Hudson’s hair care line will donate 10% of all profits to Wild Aid.  Do you like to purchase products like this that are earth-friendly and do good for charity organizations? 

Click here to read more about this new line see additional photos and read an interview with Kate Hudson.

Ex Supermodel Cindy Crawford was spotted in a sleek pair of J Brand skinnies at the Poppy Store Opening on April 15.  I have to say she is looking quite amazing and could sell me a pair of J Brand Jeans any day.  If only we could all age this well!

Pictured below with the ever adorable Reese Witherspoon who also attended the opening.

Well its about time Posh!

Victoria Beckham Shows Up At Kitson To Promote Her Denim Line

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) – After Kitson’s owner Frasier Ross slammed Victoria Beckham’s non-appearance to promote her own denim line at his store, Posh Spice had made nice and showed up at the boutique Tuesday.

It had recently been reported that Ross had dropped Beckham’s pricey “dVb” denim line from his exclusive store after its sales failed to live up to expectations.

He had told News Of The World, “We asked her PR people so many times for her to appear but she didn’t. Celebrity lines are no different from an album or music tour. They have to be promoted to sell.”

Beckham must have heard the displeasure in his tone and promptly turned up at the boutique on Robertson Blvd. followed by a horde of photographers for a 15-minute shopping trip.

Her appearance had pleased Ross as he told OK! Magazine, “Our meeting went great and I hope we can get dVb back on track.”

Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell was spotted out for a walk with her daughter and her dog wearing Miss Sixty jeans. I love how casual the wide leg jeans look and she looks super comfortable.  We don’t see Miss Sixty around as much as we used to, do you still like the brand?

Big props to BLM14 for his interview with Channel 7 News in Boston, MA. Its about time people started paying attention. Whether it is designer denim, handbags, jewelry, what have you, I think the entire ‘fake’ industry needs to be taken a bit more seriously. I, for one, am sick of seeing girls and guys sporting fake designer clothes and bags. Maybe reports like this will help people to understand just how nasty fake designer items are. What are your thoughts on fake designer goods?

If you spend big bucks on your designer jeans you will want to see this. 7′s Style Reporter Gretta Monahan shows you how to spot copies of your favorite designers and avoid getting duped by denim in “Gretta’s Got It.”
Gretta Monahan:
“When it comes to fashionable fakes, bogus bags are not the only things that are being knocked off.”

Designer denim is the newest fashion must thats being faked.

Gretta Monahan:
“So, to make sure you next pair of pricey jeans are real I get some help from a pro.”

Ben May has turned a hobby of finding fakes into a business of buyer beware!

Ben May:
“The top three designer jeans being knocked would be Diesel, True Religion and Seven’s. Although even jeans like Levis and GAP are being faked to a certain degree too.”

Gretta Monahan:
“A lot of times its hard to tell what’s being copied. So the first thing you should look at, is the label. This is where a designer puts their secret signature stamp.”

Designers for True Religion and Diesel, put a little piece of metal in the inner label with the brand’s name.

Ben May:
“And its very hard to see with the naked eye but if you look closely you’ll see words spelled out in it.”

Fakes substitute that signature strip with a plain metal one. Look at the shopping tags, bootleggers will forge them too!

Gretta Monahan:
“Pockets and stitching may seem like an obvious place to spot a sham but you gotta look close.”

Ben May:
“And stitching is harder to identify without practice, if you’re just looking at a fake pair. Unless you see side by side.”

So, can you pick out the real pair of Diesels?

Ben May:
“This is a very good fake. These are the fake ones.”

Side by side, the stitching sold them out.

Ben May:
“There are some sort of threads hanging off in the middle there a real pair would have had.”

You also need to pay attention to the color, pattern and texture. Fake jeans are made by a machine.

Ben May:
“The streaking is much more uniform and much thicker. The fake ones are much more bleachy looking.”

With the real ones, the streaking is thinner and done by hand.

Ben May:
“The real ones are much more uniformed.”

Ben says for jeans with bling, many of the higher priced brands use real crystals; the fakes lack the luster.

Ben May:
“These are just little round bits of plastic you can tell very easily.”

Just keep in mind, fashion is constantly changing and so are the security measures designers create to outsmart counterfeiters.

Gretta Monahan:
“So the best way to avoid getting duped by denim. Ask the store if they are authorized to sell the brand you want. I’m Gretta for Gretta’s Got It.”

Ali Fatourechi, the creative director for Genetic Denim was recently interviewed by Fox News, and I thought I’d share this with our readers.  I actually have a pair of Genetics myself and I love them!  They’re super soft and whenever I wear them I get tons of compliments and I’ve been told they make my legs look longer!  You can find Genetic Denim at ShopBop if you are interested in picking up a pair yourself!

Q: What is your name, company and position?

A: Ali Fatourechi, Genetic Denim, Creative Director

Q: Give us a description of your company and its success.

A: Genetic Denim is a premium denim brand. We launched two years ago and have exceeded 200 stores domestically and have entered international markets such as Japan, Canada and Australia. I partnered up with Shaun Hurley, an industry insider, who is our president of Sales, and Scott Sartiano, who is president of Marketing. We initially started with a strong marketing force that got Genetic Denim in various publications nationwide that helped make Genetic Denim a recognizable name. I worked on designing and creating a line that would be recognizable for its lightweight, soft fabrics and impeccable fit. Finally, Shaun — with his denim knowledge and great reputation amongst buyers — debuted our line at Intermezzo, which is a trade show in January 2006.

Q: Describe what a typical day is like for you as the Creative Director of Genetic Denim.

A: A typical day starts with answering e-mails and following up with development and production issues. Then I sit with my associate designer and discuss our development for the upcoming season. After, I sit with my partner Shaun Hurley and we discuss sales strategies and how the line will be represented to the buyers for the upcoming season. That information then gets passed onto our sales reps and showroom in New York. It is very important that they understand the inspiration for that season which they use as a selling tool. I generally take a couple hours to do tears from magazines for inspiration and ideas. I then spend about an hour at my manufacturing facility doing wash development and fittings on styles that we are producing for our stores.

Q: Tell us a little about your background before you launched Genetic Denim.

A: Before launching Genetic Denim, I spent a year studying my consumers. I started a mobile denim store. I traveled from New York to Texas and visited 42 cities in search of what women want in a pair of jeans. I funded the tour by buying my competitor’s brands and selling them to college students across the country for a discounted price. I bought overstock and styles from previous seasons at a discount and sold them for half the retail price. After two semesters of traveling, I realized what women want in a pair of jeans, moved to Los Angeles and started Genetic Denim with my two partners.

Q: How did you come up with your business idea?

A: I’ve always been a jeans guy. I grew up wearing and loving vintage Levi’s. To me, jeans are the only article of clothing that transcend seasons and borders. I wasn’t sure how to start a brand with no technical design background. For me, fashion starts from the streets and works its way up. I know there are limited retail outlets in and around college campuses so I decided to go on the road and sell jeans for a fraction of the cost and gauge the response from my potential consumers.

Q: Describe how you developed your idea into a successful business. What steps did you take along the way? What obstacles did you face? What was the hardest thing about starting your own business?

A: Once I spoke to people and friends who I look up to in the business world, and they truly believed in my idea, it was all about execution at that point. Once my partners signed on to take on my idea I knew there was something there and that Genetic Denim was going to be a strong force in the premium denim world. I faced so many obstacles. We were under-funded in the beginning, and we had major production issues, which prevented us from shipping for six months. The hardest thing to do was starting a business with no prior experience and making people believe in you and giving you complete autonomy to do as you want.

Q: What are three important tips for starting your own product line?

A: 1) Have a clear and concise plan.
2) You must have conviction in what you are designing. Fashion is subjective and you have to know that your clothes might not be for everyone.
3) You have one shot, make sure that your clothes fit. It is the most important aspect. If they do not fit, people will likely not try your clothes on again.

Q: What are some tips for standing out in a competitive market?

A: 1) Have an angle different than anyone else.
2) Create a buzz that makes your brand the “must-have” brand.
3) Make sure your voice (design) is heard and you know who you are designing for; pinpoint your target market and that will translate to your buyers.

Q: What are some mistakes you’ve made in building your business? How can someone avoid making those kinds of mistakes?

A: Mistakes are a blessing. My mistakes will not be someone else’s and I think it’s an important aspect to a business. You can’t avoid mistakes; you just have to learn to deal with them the best way you can.”

Images courtesy Celebutopia.

Haylie Duff was spotted rocking a pair of Antiks last Saturday after a shopping excursion, and just when you thought Antik Denim was out for good. Personally I’m really glad to see a celeb rocking Antiks. I think they’re adorable, a bit flashy, but super cute! I hope they will make a comeback! How about you, are you still digging Antik Denim? And OMG – her Prada Fairy bag is to DIE for!